Pipe-engaging slip



April 21, 1925.v y G. R. LIVERGOOD PIPE ENGAGING SLIP' Filed Jan. 21. 1922 I I A Gamm i?. Lmmoon,

gyn/vento@ Patented Apr. 21, 1925.

UNITED STATES GERALD R. LIVERGOOD, OF HOUSTON, TEXAS.

PIPE-ENGAGING SLIP.

y Application filed January 21, 1922. Serial No. 530,800.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, GERALD R. Lrvnncoon, a citizen `of the United States, residing at Houston, Harris County, Texas, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Pipe-Engaging Slips, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to pipe-engaging slips adapted particularly to lit within a tapered seat of a well drilling rotary and to grip the drill pipe and sustain the load of pipe suspended in the drill hole.

The construction of this slip is a further improvement and development of the slip .shown in my prior Patent No. 1,381,074

granted June 7th, 1921.

An object of my invention is to provide a pipe engaging slip for rotaries of drilling rigs which may be made up of a plurality of jaws held together and operable as a unit,

and which will need no plate or 'securing member at the lower end thereof.

Another object is to provide means of securing the jaws in a slip of this characterv flexibly together in such manner asl to pre- -vent the accidental loss of one of the jaws during operation.

Another object is to provide means to hold the jaws assembled together and to prevent undue rotative movement of any one of the jaws relative to the supporting frame and to the other jaws.

Referring to the drawing herewith, wherein I have applied like numerals to like parts as far as possible throughout the several views, Fig. `1 is a transverse section of my improvement taken on the line 1 1 of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of my improved multiple slip, some parts Abeing broken away for Agreater clearness. 1s a top plan view of my device. central longitudinal section through a drilling rotary showing my slip employed therein, andFig. 5 shows a top plan and a front elevation of the key or tenen employed in my improvement.

It is sometimes found to be of some disadvantage in multiplejaw slips to provide a plate, o-r other securing means, at the lower ends ofv the jaws. This is especially so on some of the larger sizesjof slips. It has therefore been my effort in this imprsovement to provide means which will se- Fig. 4 is a cure the jaws to a holding means and to allow free play of the-jaws relative to each other and to the holder, and to do this without the necessity of any securing means at the lower ends. `In the drawing I have shown the slip madeup of a plurality of separate jaws G. I have contemplated the employment of several of these jaws on each holding means, and I have shown a set comprising four separate jaws and these jaws arranged in a semi-circular lgroup so as to grip one-half of the pipe. 'By so doing, I find it necessary to use but two slipseach of them being a compound slip made up of the four jaws as shown. It is obvious, however, that a different number of jaws could be employed in each group `and I do not Wish, therefore, to limit myself to this particular number.

Each of the jaws 6 is tapered on its outer surface to fit within a tapered seat 7 cfa rotary table 8 as shown in Fig. 4. The inner surface of thejaw is toothed at 9 to adapt the same to grip the pipe, and it will be noted that the teeth are inclined someof. This slot is a. key-hole slotthat is, it 'has a rounded inner portion as shown at 14,

and a narrow slot or groove 13 leading therefrom. Each of these mortices or slots is arranged in a position exactly oppositel the slot in the adjacent jaw so as toreceive a key or tenon 15, shown particularly in Fig. 5. This key has a narrow central portion and two rounded andVV enlarged sides 1.6 thereon. As shown in the plan view of Fig. 5 it will be noted that the rounded edges 16 are somewhat elliptical in shape so that they will be received loosely within the rounded portion 14 of the key-way or mortice, thus allowing lateral play of the jaws relative to 'each other. Midway of the key 15 I form a recess 17 on each side of the said key by cutting away a. part thereof, as shown particularly in ig. 5. W'hen the key is then placed in position as shown in Fig. 1, it will serve to secure the two adjacent jaws together. By then boring a.h hole through the jawon aline with the recess 17 of the key I am enabled to insert a short plug or pin 18 therethrough so as"to prevent vertical movement of the tenon or key within the slot beyond a certain point, this play `being `limited by the-upper and lower edges of the recess 174 in the key. These pins 18 extend entirely through the j aw and may be driven intol or from' this position bypmeans of a punch.

In addition to' the securing of the jaws l together centrally by 'means of the keys 15,

' changeable.

I provide an upper semi-circular plate 19. This plate has openings 2O therein at spaced intervals to receive the pins 11 projecting upwardly from the jaws. VThe openings 2O are somewhat largerthanthe pins 11, as shown at the left in Fig. 3 so that there will be a loose play of the pin within theopening. This opening 20 furnishes a bearing forthe pin, and to strengthen this bearing andthe plate I extend a lug 21 downwardly from the plate at each of the openings as shown in Fig. 2. Thus the lug spaces the jaws somewhat from the upper plate and'also furnishes a. better bearingfor the pins 11,

as will be obvious. On the upper face of the plate 19 I form two upwardly extending l'lugs 22`one of these lugs at each side of the central portion of the plate. These lugs are formed -with a central opening therethrough to receive the outwardly curved end of a handle member 23 'o f the usual design.

The ope-ration of this improved slip will now be obvious. When thepipeA is ready to be seized by the slip the said slip is inserted within the tapered seat 13 4of the rotary table and the pipe allowed to rest upon the said slips.- The frictional contact of the' jaws with the pipe will draw the slips firmly downwardly into the seat 74 and will thereby clamp them against the pipe in such manner as to hold the same iirmly. X'As each of the jaws has but 'a short face in ycontact with the pipe it will not tend to seize the pipe in such way that it may not bel easily released. Each of the j aws having free'play relative to the holder and to eachother, will adjust themselves to irregularly lshaped pipe and to pipe in dill'erent positidns. It will be noted that the pins 11 project upwardly through the plate so as 'to allow a loose vertical plav of the jaws relative to the said plate and the iit of the key 15 in the jaws is so loose that a great deal of freedom is thereby allowed.

I'Vhen the jaws are made up, it is intendedthat they shall be made in quantities and in such manner that they may be interl For this reason I have shown the outermost jaws of each set formed with the slots 13 formed therein in the same many ner as are the slots in the other jaws. It

lVhen the pins or -plugs 18 are inserted 70 through the openings 17 in the keys 15, in practice it will be obvious that if one .or mo-re of the jaws become loosened due for 1nstance to the loss of one or more 'of the nuts l 12 on the-upper ends of the pins, or tothe 7 5 A shearing oii' of one of Athe pins, it will be impossible-for the jaw to be lost from the holder and drop into the well. Each of the keys forms a sort of link, -as in a chain,

acting to tie each jaw iiexibly to the adjacent 50 jaw. The slip as thus formed is thereby made safe for use and the liability of junking the hole 'due to the dropping of one of Athe jaws therein is overcome. Having thus described my invention, the 35 further advantages of which will'be obvious to one skilled in the art, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. In a slip for rotaries comprising a plu-V rality of pipe engaging jaws, means to hold 9 said jaws loosely together comprisin a segmental plate, a pin on (each jawysli able 1n said plate and having a limited movement relative thereto, bearing means for said ins,

mortices-in the adjacent faces lof eac of 9 5 said jaws, a key iitting loosely in the mortices of two adjacent jaws, and serving to connect said' jaws iexibly together and means to ret-ain said keys in` said mortices;

2.- In a slip for rotaries comprising a plu- 10 ralityof pipe engaging jaws, means to hold said jaws loosely together/ comprlsing a curved plate having bearingopenings therein, p ins on said jaws iitting loosely insaid openings, mortices on the side faces of the jaws, and keys having enlarged ends'fltting slidably in the mortices of two adjacent jaws and acting 'to hold them iiexibly together.

3. In a slipI for rotaries comprising a plurality of pipe engaging jaws, means to hold said jaws loosely together comprising an upper plate, means to secure said jaws loosely to said plate and means to securesaid jaws flexibly to each other comprising a key having enlarged side portions adapted to t within keyhole-shaped mortices in the adjacent sides of two of said rjaws and means to retain said keys loosely in said mortices.

A4. In a slip 1for rotaries comprising a plurality of pipe engaging jaws means to hold said jaws loosely together comprising 'an upper plate to which each jaw is slidably l connected and keys between the adjacent jaws fitting in mortices in the sides lof said jaws, and means yto prevent removal of said keys including pms 1n said jaws adapted to pass through openings in the sides of said keys in the manner described.

5. A slip forrrotarieshaving a4 plurality of pipe engaging jaws, means to hold said jaws 13 v flexibly together comprising an upper plate 7. In a multiple jaw slip for rotaries, the

having a handlethereon, pins on said jaws combination of a plurality of segmental arcloosely engaging said plate, and separate uate plates, a plurality of' jaws slida-bly se- 15 means connecting each jaw exibly to the cured to each plate, and separate means'con- 5 jaw adjacent thereto. necting adjacent jaws at their sides to hold 6.' In a pipe engaging device, a plurality them flexibly together, and allowing each of slips, each slip comprising a plurality jaw a limited play to and from adjacent jaws f of separate jaws, means connected to said of said slip. 20 jaws to move each slip as a unit, and means In testimony whereof, I hereunto alx my e .10 separate from said ja-ws and slidable versignature,\ this the 18th day ofJanuary,

tically thereon to connect the adjacent sides A. D. 1922. *of each jaw flexibly to the adjoining jaw. GERALD R. LIVERGOOD. 

